We’ve all heard that pollution is bad, but just how bad is it?
In California, chronic exposure to fine particles is linked to thousands of premature deaths per year. Most of these fatalities occur in Southern California; in fact, a 2010 economic study found that fine-particle pollution contributes to as many early deaths as the number of deaths caused by traffic accidents.
This is a particularly dangerous problem in Los Angeles and other cities with similar topography because they are located in a basin. In LA, smog gets trapped in downtown and the area by LAX, when high pressure prevents air from moving.
The state’s prolonged dry spells have resulted in a layer of warmer air trapping cooler air below, concentrating pollution near the ground. As a result, this month the valley’s fine-particle pollution jumped to unhealthful levels.
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Smog is an increasingly common and concerning problem.
Image Source: D3sign
Here’s a breakdown of the top two pollutants, and why they’re so dangerous:
OZONE:
Time to shine: Peaks in summer.
How I’m formed: Cars, trucks, power plants and factories release reactive gases. Unburned hydrocarbons + heat + sunlight → ozone
Why I’m so dangerous: Breathing me can harm children’s lungs, trigger respiratory problems such as asthma and bronchitis, and worsen heart and lung diseases.
SOOT (fine particulate matter):
Time to shine: Winter.
How I’m formed: Emitted by diesel engines, fires, and other combustion sources.
Profile photo: I’m less than 1/30th the width of a human hair.
Why I’m so dangerous: If inhaled deep into the lungs, I can impair breathing and damage the heart and blood vessels.
Featured image source: Melanie Wathugala.
